The SolutionTo The Obesity Epidemic - Part IIApproaching Medical Providers For Referrals

In my last article entitled "A Unique approach to Fight Obesity", I touched on the fact that web sites, health clubs, nutrition stores, and personal trainers need to get in contact with medical providers for referrals. This dyed-in-the-wool group of muscles builders has the secret to fighting the all-prevalent obesity epidemic - we focus on muscle!

Since the publication of that article I have had a myriad of emails from readers asking a simple question: How do I contact a medical provider for referrals?

In this brief article I am going to touch on some simple approaches for you to take to talk to doctors, physician's assistants, nurse practitioners, chiropractors, and other health care provides to increase your business and therefore pocket book, as well as start combating obesity - the modern day serial killer on a rampage without end in sight.

A Unique Approach To Fight Obesity! I am writing this to encourage each and every one of you reading it to become actively involved in helping with the obesity epidemic. How? The solution to obesity is to increase muscle.

I have broken the article down into four simple parts to provide you with some ideas for success.

1. Medical Providers Are Human Just Like You:

This is the first fact that is important for everyone to realize. Medical providers seem to be put (or put themselves) on a pedestal overlooking their followers. The fact is they are human; they just have a different job than you.

You see them in the store, the gym, in the park playing with their kids - they are everywhere. Do not be afraid to approach them and ask for a few minutes of their time to tell them how you can benefit their patients.

Ask around the gym, or better yet, the front desk people at your health club who's-who. Front desk guys and gals are very likely to know who the docs are, who the PA's are, etc. Once you learn their identity, use common gym consideration and wait until they are done exercising or at the very least between sets and approach them.

The majority of health care providers are very concerned with their patients health and would gladly accept an invitation from a trained professional or resource to further benefit their patients.

Calling on doctors' offices is also possible, but let me suggest a few procedures to take in mind before you do so: send or drop off some information about yourself and/or your business before you go in. Name recognition is a powerful "foot in the door" tool.

Focus your literature on your treatment of obesity IN ASSOCIATION with the doctor's treatment, or as an adjunct to the doctor's treatment. Speaking personally, I would favor someone approaching me in the gym than my office.

Medical provider's office time is very impenetrable, and though it may be possible to schedule a lunch meeting with them, the cold call is never advised. Be respectful of their time, they are very busy people. Be straight forward and to the point without being pushy.

2. Know Your Stuff!

To approach a health care provider without being armed with knowledge is akin to walking through Kodiak Island, Alaska as quiet as you can, plastered with honey, in the middle of grizzly mating season.

Click To Enlarge.The Kodiak Bear Is The LargestSubspecies Of Brown Bear.

In other words, you are most certainly going to get attacked and likely killed if you do not have your "stuff" together. Be aware of how your business, be it supplement sales, personal training, or other endeavor can benefit the doctor's patients. Be able to quote studies and provide references for how your industry is combating the obesity epidemic from a unique yet powerful slant.

Be prepared for questions; the worst thing you can do is lie about the answer second only by not knowing the answer. Many times you only have one shot to promote something. Know what you are talking about; remember you are trying to sell yourself as a consultant and expert in the field of obesity and increasing muscle mass.

Another important thing to remember is "features tell but benefits sell". This means that you can tell all the features about a service you want but until you spell out the benefits directly related to the product, the buyer will not buy. Features are important but not as important as understanding how this product will directly benefit them in a specific way.

For example: You may ask the doctor, "What do you tell a patient that presents with diabetes that really needs to lose weight?", or "How would you like to tell your patient that there is a program available that will help them meet their weight loss needs by teaching them proper diet, exercise, and supplementation?", "Does that sound like something that would be beneficial to your patients?" Tell the medical provider how your program will benefit them, not just features of the program.

As I stated above, healthcare providers are extremely busy people. Rather than making them work more to get a patient to you, help them (in fact encourage them) to send people to you and your service by providing written referral forms.

Your primary care specialists in particular are very attuned to writing referrals and a simple to follow form that requires little work is a great way to start getting recommendations. Make it very simple for the health care provider to fill out and make it a carbon copy version so the health care provider can give one copy to the patient and keep one for the medical records.

Click To Enlarge.Make It A Carbon Copy Version So The Health Care ProviderCan Keep One For The Medical Records.

This is a powerful way to get referrals from doctors. Have your current clientele tell their health care providers about you and your services. When the health care provider is in with their patients (i.e. your clients), they take the time to listen and hear what they have to say and how they are doing with important medically relevant things such as diet, exercise, and supplementation.

If your client drops your name to the health care provider and boasts on how good you are in your field, the health care provider will be very interested in learning more about you or finding ways you can benefit other patients of theirs. If you need to, coach your clients on doing so.

Our passion of building muscle is beyond doubt the key to making a dent in our current health care crisis. Those of us dedicated to knowledgeable eating, exercise and supplementation have known for years the power of that trio.